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What is your Growth Plan?

Have you lost touch with what matters in your business?

The clerk didn't know, but asked a supervisor. Three things about the supervisor. She was....

Focused on paperwork.

Seemed very stressed.

Never gave me or her associate eye contact.

The clerk asked for help. The supervisor, without looking up, said, "I know nothing about them."

The supervisor has a problem. Perhaps, she has been given more to do than the time to get it done. Maybe she wasn't feeling well. Whatever the case, she didn't do her job.

Enough about the supervisor, we don't improve beating her up. We improve by asking if our team is doing the same thing to our customers?

These are the type of events where advertising usually takes the blame. Sales are down so your advertising must not be reaching enough people or the right people.

Good point, because if we were reaching all the people who enjoyed being ignored by rude people, sales would freakin' sky rocket. But, it's easier to blame advertising.

​Having a sales funnel, can help you pin point these problem areas.

What is a sales funnel? A planned path with defined stages that you gently, but firmly pull people through. It helps your customers walk from prospects too first time customer to a repeat customer who raises your average sale.

I'm not caught up on definition or terminology. Here is what's important in a sales funnel.

Defined Stages.

Plans to move people from one defined stages to another

Constant Measurement

Be careful to automatically say, that doesn't work for my business. Don't. Learn, adapt, and grow revenue.

Here's the bottom line, you are trying to sell something.

The moment we forget that fact, we are in trouble. So with all the love and respect, this can work in your business. You might have to change it, adjust it, or massage it, but the principles can help you with your specific process.

Now takes those stages and view them through the five steps of the communication process.

1. Unawareness -- They don't even know that they don't know about you.2. Awareness -- So that place on the corner is a restaurant of some kind.3. Comprehension -- Actually, it only serves breakfast items, I hear it's very good.4. Conviction -- We are going this Saturday.5. Action -- Walk in, sit down, and order.

With that backdrop, how do you move people from one stage to another? Information.

Information in your customer's language not yours. A lot of what we believe are reasons to do business with us our customers see as "Clean Rooms."

Ever see Clean Rooms on a hotel marquee.

There are expectations, satisfiers, and drivers. "Clean Rooms" are on the first level of expectation, no where close to a driver. Expectations don't belong on a marquee.

Some examples of talking your customers language.

Turn heads, feel great, and pay below retail at..Your child will be more confident and love going to school with....

Focus your sales funnel on serving the client. The client was feels more served when you are speaking theirlanguage not yours.

With a sales funnel in place, you can stop asking your advertising to take people from unawareness to the action step.

Instead, you serve them.

You know those 7 same questions people ask you in every meeting. The next person will too. Why don't you create an e-book that answers those questions. Why don't you include the 3 questions everybody should be working.

Then your traditional advertising drives people to download the book. It's simple and free.

So, they download the book.

Now they have information and you have their name and email. Just like you have an opportunity to opt out at the bottom of everything I email you, you need to do the same thing.

Think about what you are doing here.

1. You are saying, we believe in your goal.2. You are serving them.3. They have given you permission to talk.

Plus, your advertising becomes easier to measure and manage. If you aren't getting people to downloador text for more information, you have a message problem not a reach problem.

If you are getting tons of signups but not moving them to purchase, you can now pin point the problem. It's either product, price, or perception. Maybe your supervisor knows nothing about the product.

Ok, let's wrap up.

A defined sales funnel can drive business.

Here's what you need.

Information. What information helps people move from unawareness to comprehension of your product? Put that information in a easy to use format. Perhaps it's an email, e-book, video, etc.

Drive people to that free report.

Start the dialogue.

Are your providing these types of offers? If yes, what works best?

If no, what could you be doing?

I hope this is helpful.

Aweber is my choice for an email management system. Click here for a great example of an opt in offer they have. {If you were to sign-up for Aweber through this link, I will receive a commission}

Business is changing. You need to become proactive in telling your story. If you haven't developed a sales funnel, getstarted.